Accordion support stand



10, 1967 H. A. SMITH ETAI. I ACC ORDION SUPPORT STAND I V Filed June 16, 1966 Z3 wa- FIG.| g v 10.2

INVENTORS HERMAN A. SMITH BESSIE I. Sm H BY ATTORN EY United States Patent Ofitice 3,346,225 ACCORDEON SUEPURT STAND Herman A. Smith and Bessie I. Smith, both of R.R. 2, Box 19, Edwardsville, Ill. 62025 Filed June 16, 1966, Ser. No. 558,059 4 Claims. (Cl. 248125) This invention relates to a stand for a piano accordion, which holds the instrument in readiness for use and while in use.

In small bands, piano accordions are utilized only for a portion of the music; and the musician who plays this instrument may, during other portions of the music, be required to play other instruments. Inasmuch as a piano accordion is both heavy and delicate, and includes a bellows and extensible portions which must be handled carefully, it has not been possible theretofore for a musician to change quickly from a piano accordion to any other instrument.

The purposes of the present invention are to provide a piano accordion support stand which holds the instrument constantly in position for use at a convenient height, and on which it will remain supported while in use, yet which will permit the musician to leave the instrument and immediately take up another instrument. A further purpose is to provide secure support for the bellows and extensible portions of the accordion when not being played, without need for latching the extensible portions in closed position. Still further purposes are to provide for the quick release of such bellows support and for steadying the support stand while the instrument is in use.

These and other purposes which will be apparent from this specification, are achieved in the present invention, which is generally summarized as follows:

A three-legged base support, much like a conventional tripod stand, includes a vertical standard having hooks or similar instrument support means, one near the top of the standard and the other spaced sufiiciently below it to support a piano accordion between them. Adjacent to the lower support means is a laterally-extending arm movable on a forward-and-aft horizontal hinge, and padded on its upper surface, which supports the bellows and extensible portions of the piano accordion. The arm is urged upward to substantially horizontal position by a spring. A foot treadle hinged to the lower end of one of the three legs (normally the left rear leg) has a cable connecting to the arm, so that force exerted by the musicians left foot may draw the arm downward to release the accordion for extension of its bellows. This force on the treadle steadies the support stand while the accordion is being played. A fixed foot pad projecting from the lower end of one of the other legs (normally the right rear leg) further steadies the support stand. The height of the standard is adjustable; to compensate for this the length of the cable-like member is likewise subject to adjustment.

The present invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of an accordion stand embodying the present invention. The phantom lines show an accordion resting thereon; the dashed lines show the support arm held downwardly with the instrument in play- 3,346,225 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 further enlarged at its extension 12 to provide a foot pad 13. The player steps on the foot pad 13 with his right foot to exert a steadying force. The legs 11 slope inward and upward to vertical upper end portions 14, each received within one of the three downwardly-presented Socket portions 15 of a triple socket guide bracket generally designated 16. At its center, the bracket 16 has a downwardly-extending vertical guide tube 17, and in the side of which is an adjustable retention screw 18. The screw 18 adjusts the vertical position of a central lower tubular member 19 to whose upper end is socket-mounted at the center of a fore-and-aft principal accordion support member 20. Removably secured onto its aft end as by a thumb screw 20 is the lower end of a relatively largediameter hollow lower telescoping tubular standard 21. Into its upper end extends telescopingly an upper tubular standard 21' of smaller diameter. The vertical position of this member therein is fixed by an adjustment screw 22.

At the upper end of the telescoping portion 21' and projecting forwardly therefrom is an upper accordion support hook 23 adapted to grasp the upper handle of the reed section b of a piano accordion generally designated a, having a key board 6', a bellows d and a bass section e. A complementary lower accordion support hook 24 projects forward from the principal support member 20 beneath the reed section b, and similarly holds the accordion a by its lower support handle.

The present accordion stand is well adapted for adjustment to suit the height of the player and also the size of the accordion in use. For larger accordions, the spacing between the upper support hook 23 and the complementary lower support hook 24 is adjustable by means of the telescoping adjustment screw 22, which serves to set these complementary hook means 23, 24 at suitable spacing to support any piano accondion. The height at which the central tubular member 19 is held in the guide tube 17 of the bracket 16 is also adjustable, to suit the height of the player, by means of the screw 18. Another function of the adjusting screws 18, 22 are to permit disassembly for easy carrying. Thumb screws (not shown) in the sides of the downwardly-presented socket portions 15 similarly permit disassembly of the tripod legs 11 by releasing engagement with their vertical upper end portions 14; it being understood that such entire assembly may be readily disassembled, by such means, into a compact package.

Onto the forward end of the fore-and-aft member 20 beneath the lower support hook 24 is a hinged bracket 25 presenting a horizontal hinge 26 along a horizontal foreand-aft axis f-f. At the upper end of the bracket 25 is a laterally extending arm 27 having a softly padded upper surface portion 28. The padded arm 27 extends for sulficient length to accommodate the bellows section d and bass section e of the accordion a.

Secured to the lower part of the bracket 25 is a downwardly projected guide 29 having a slightly elongated aperture 30 through which fits a guide rod 31 having a headed lower end 31. The upper end 32 of the guide rod 31 is pivotally secured in a clevis bracket 33 on the undersurface of the arm 27 near its outer end. A compression spring 34 surrounds the rod 31 and exerts compression between the clevis bracket 32 and the guide 29 whereby to urge the arm 27 upwardly about the hinge 26 to substantially horizontal position. Its uppermost extent is reached when the headed lower end 31' contacts the guide 29. The strength of the compression spring 34 is sufiicient so that the arm 27 will support the bellows section d and other extensible portions of the accordion (particularly the bass section e) when it is not being played.

The means to draw the arm 27 downwardly about the hinge axis f-f into the playing position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1, will now be described. At the outer end of the clevis bracket 33 is secured a treadle cable 35. Onto the foot extension 12 of the tripod leg 11 shown at the right side of FIG. 1 is secured a horizontal treadle hinge 36; on it is pivotally mounted the lower end of an inclined treadle plate 37, which normally is suspended at an upward slope. Secured to the unde-rsurface of the rounded upper tip end of the treadle plate 37 is a rigid inwardprojecting cable arm 38 having at its inner end a cable guide groove 39 through which the cable 35 is drawn, as shown in the enlarged view FIG. 3.

To adjust the length of the cable 35 for variations in a vertical setting of the central tube 19, a cable reel bracket 40 is employed, as shown in the enlarged view FIG. 3. The bracket 40 is in the form of a yoke crossed by a rotatable cable reel pin 41 around which the lower end of the cable 35 is wound. Projecting from the reel pin 41 is a pivoted Winding arm portion 42 having a locking projection 43 which on winding may be set on a safety notch 44 in the reel bracket 40. By releasing the locking projection 43 from the notch 44 in which it has been set, any desired portion of the length of the cable 35 may be wound onto or off of the reel pin 41. The guide groove 39 is sufiiciently narrow to hold the cable 35 fairly tightly, so that no slack accumulates between the groove 39 and the reel pin 41.

The present invention permits immediate use of the accordion by immediate release of the bellows d for extension; yet when the player has completed playing, the bellows d and extensible bass section e are given immediate support by the padded arm 27. If the accordion a has been standing unplayed, supported in the position shown in FIG. 1, with the lateral arm 27 extending as shown in solid lines, the musician first presses his right foot on the foot pad projection 13, thereby steadying the support stand assembly. He then grasps the bass section e of the accordion a in usual manner. By pressing the treadle plate 37 to the floor, the arm 27 is drawn downwardly to the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1. He may then move the bass section e and bellows d outward and inward in usual manner, with complete freedom, utilizing his right hand on the key board section 0.

With his feet firmly fixed on the foot pad projection 13' and treadle plate 37, the musician playscomfortably while he effectively steadies the accordion support stand. When he has completed playing, he compresses the bellows d at least partially, lifts his right foot from the treadle 37, restoring the arm 27 to substantially horizontal position, and rests the lower end of the bass section e on its padded upper surface 28. The accordion will thus be supported firmly without any further steps taken to protect it, as the musician hurriedly leaves the accordion stand to play another instrument.

The specific mechanical details shown in the illustrated embodiment are exemplary; and may be adapted to various obvious modifications. The present invention is therefore not to be construed narrowly, but rather as fully co-extensive with the claims hereof.

We claim:

1. A piano accordion support stand having a base support means,

a vertical standard supported thereby,

means adjacent to the upper portion of said standard and complementary means spaced therebeneath to support such a piano accordion therebetween,

a laterally-extending arm projecting from a horizontal hinge secured to the standard adjacent to said complementary support means,

said arm having a soft-surfaced upper portion,

means to draw the arm downwardly about said hinge,

whereby to remove same from the path in which the accordion is extended when being played and spring means to urge said arm about said hinge upwardly to substantially horizontal position,

whereby said arm may support the bellows and extensible portion of the accordion when not being played.

2. A piano accordion support stand as defined in claim 1,

the base support means being three-legged,

wherein the means to draw the arm downwardly comprises a foot treadle hinged to the lower end of one of said three legs, and

a cable-like member connecting the foot treadle to the arm,

whereby force exerted by one foot of the musician downwardly on the treadle releases the accordion for extension of its bellows and simultaneously steadies the support stand.

3. The support stand as defined in claim 2,

together with means to adjust the height of the standard at which said arm projects,

and means to adjust the length of the said cable-like member to compensate for such height adjustment.

4. The support stand as defined in claim 2,

together with a fixed foot pad projecting from the lower end of one of its other legs,

whereby the support may be further steadied by the musicians other foot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,028 6/ 1940 Richeda 248-124 XR 2,926,891 3/1960 Holt 248-122 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 479,617 12/1951 Canada. 584,687 11/1958 Italy.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner. ROBERT P. SEI'ITER, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A PIANO ACCORDION SUPPORT STAND HAVING A BASE SUPPORT MEANS, A VERTICAL STANDARD SUPPORTED THEREBY, MEANS ADJACENT TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID STANDARD AND COMPLEMENTARY MEANS SPACED THEREBENEATH TO SUPPORT SUCH A PIANO ACCORDION THEREBETWEEN, A LATERALLY-EXTENDING ARM PROJECTING FROM A HORIONTAL HINGE SECURED TO THE STANDARD ADJACENT TO SAID COMPLEMENTARY SUPPORT MEANS, SAID ARM HAVING A SOFT-SURFACED UPPER PORTION, MEANS TO DRAW THE ARM DOWNWARDLY ABOUT SAID HINGE, WHEREBY TO REMOVE SAME FROM THE PATH IN WHICH THE ACCORDION IS EXTENDED WHEN BEING PLAYED AND SPRING MEANS TO URGE SAID ARM ABOUT SAID HINGE UPWARDLY TO SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, WHEREBY SAID ARM MAY SUPPORT THE BELLOWS AND EXTENSIBLE PORTION OF THE ACCORDION WHEN NOT BEING PLAYED. 